Customer motivation can be such a mystery. (And let's not even talk about pricing psychology.) What makes people flock to one product or brand over another? We all like to think we make logical decisions when shopping, and while that's sometimes true, we both admit that feelings can play a big part too.

If marketing and advertising didn't work, those industries wouldn't exist. None of us here are about to hire a big agency to support our businesses, but that doesn't mean we can't learn from them. One trick that helps brands better appeal to customers? A good story.

When we say story here, we're talking in the broad sense. It might be your about page, your Instagram bio or your product descriptions. These are all places where good storytelling can help flip a shopper from "maybe" to "add to cart." And if you ask us, stories matter even more for handmade businesses than for mass-market companies. People like to connect with people, and that goes double for the kinds of people who like to shop small.

All of this is why we're super-excited to be welcoming content strategist Jasmine Williams as the speaker at our next event. Jasmine has years of experience using storytelling to help her clients bring their businesses to the next level, and she'll be sharing some of her tricks with us on March 30. Plus, she's offered to do a live review of some of your about pages, email openers and more – make sure to send those in asap!

Don't forget: We record all our events, so if you register and can't make the time, you can watch a recap when it's convenient for you. (And, of course, paid Workshop members can access our full library of past events at any time.)

Yours in making,

Co-founders Corinna vanGerwen and Kat Tancock

This issue is sponsored by Inventora

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Register now! Business stories that sell

Do you want to create more engaging Instagram posts, boost email open rates and increase clicks on that Add to Cart button? Join Workshop and content strategist Jasmine Williams on March 30 for a live virtual session on why your business story matters and how it can help you succeed.

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